It was an afternoon when the chill of Regbell had subsided a little, thanks to the passing of the harsh winter. As soon as Shioana was able to move, she looked for Eli first. Lying down, she practiced the words she had to say countless times.
"Right, so it wasn't a contagious disease, Shioana. That's a relief. I was worried."
She had only guessed while she was lying down, but it seemed Count Noah didn't come to visit because he was worried about catching the disease. However, she wasn't particularly disappointed.
"...Yes."
She had entered briskly, but her voice grew soft the moment she saw Eli's sharp gaze. The only saving grace was that her brother didn't seem to be in a bad mood.
"Now, I guess you need to get ready to go to Highbell. You saw all the gifts Count Noah sent, right? If he weren't so busy, he would have come here and looked after you himself."
Count Noah, who had left Regbell, did not return here, citing heavy snowfall and busy work.
Of course, it would have been much better if he hadn't come, but Shioana was seized by a slightly bitter feeling.
She used to think of Pierre Noir as a refined and kind gentleman. Even though her heart didn't race for him, he wasn't a bad person either.
'Now that I look at it, I don't understand a single thing.'
It felt as though the world she knew had completely turned into a mess. Shioana composed herself and took a deep breath.
"I want to talk about marriage, brother."
They hadn't formally held an engagement ceremony, nor had the news of the marriage been posted at the temple yet. Only two families knew that she was marrying Count Noah. So, she could cancel it at any time now.
"What marriage are you talking about?"
Eli replied indifferently with a pipe in his mouth. Seeing her brother, she couldn't bring herself to speak, but Shioana mustered up the courage again.
"I don't want to marry Count Noah."
This time, she didn't feel the urge to make a good impression on him.
"...Yeah, I've heard that everyone gets so sensitive and has huge mood swings before marriage."
Right now, Eli regarded her as nothing more than a new bride feeling restless ahead of her wedding. Shioana, clenching her fists tightly over her dress, raised her voice slightly.
"It's not that. I don't like Count Noah."
"...What on earth are you babbling about?"
An ivory pipe fell to the floor with a thud, and Eli's sharp voice filled the narrow drawing room.
At her shout, Eli's eyes instantly turned fierce.
It would have been better not to deal with her brother at a time like this, but she couldn't stop herself. Marriage was a matter of life and death, and she couldn't go to someone else with such feelings. After all, the warmth of Etienne's body as he held her tightly was still vivid.
"I just don't have the confidence to do it well."
"...Confident you can do well?”
Eli stood up and slowly walked over to where Siona was sitting. He reached out a finger and poked her forehead. Shioana's head shook back and forth from the force of the push.
"It seems you are mistaken about something. This marriage just has to happen. You don't have a choice."
"...But."
"Do you think you're someone special just because I dressed you? Shioana, my God. How can you be so stupid?"
"Brother, I can't marry Count Noah."
It was the first time in her life she had spoken against Eli. As she kept repeating the same words, Eli stopped what he was doing.
"I am afraid that your father might find out that you are such an ungrateful child."
Shioana just clenched her fists tightly while staring at the pipe lying on the floor. She had mustered up the courage, but her shoulders flinched at the mention of her father.
His satisfied expression at Highbell's Noah's house was clearly visible before jer eyes. His father was sincerely looking forward to her marriage.
'Just like you said, Father will be very disappointed.'
"Because of you, I had to grow up without a mother. Because of someone like you, you who spent your whole life just wasting food in Regbell, now have your first chance to serve the family, and you lack confidence? I don't know if you're out of your mind."
"There must be another way. I will definitely be of help to the family."
"How on earth do you think you can do that? If you know a way, please let me know."
"...That's not yet."
As Shioana hesitated, he lowered his head and gripped the armrest of the chair she was sitting on. Trapped almost in Eli's arms, she pressed her back tightly against the chair and held her breath.
"This is why I say you're a useless woman. How dare you even mention the family name when you're of your caliber? You have nothing but this pretty face."
His forehead was so close that it seemed it would almost touch Shioana's cheek.
"Shioana, listen carefully. This marriage is going to happen no matter what. If you ignore me, I really won't let you get away with it."
A cruel plan was evident that it would not end with merely confining her to the annex.
"... Brother."
Shioana was unable to say a word as he crushed her with his solid body. She was well aware that her brother was actively pushing for her marriage to Count Noah, but this was more than that.
"Answer me, Shioana."
"...All right."
His ominous voice made it seem as though he might cause a major disaster if she didn't answer yes. Upon hearing Shioana's answer, he stood up, picked up the pipe, and brushed off the ash.
“Go out.”
At Eli's order to kick her out, she hurriedly slipped outside. Shioana's face was swollen and bright red as she tried to hold back her tears.
***
Her hands trembled when she yelled at Eli.
Shioana could not breathe properly as she recalled her brother, who had acted as if he would kill her with just a glance. Shioana, who had been leaning against the bed, sprang to her feet.
"...It hurts."
She gently stroked her forehead with her hand, and the tips of her fingernails touched her forehead, making it sting.
"My brother is really angry."
She ran her hand through her arm at the chilling aura she had felt from his entire body earlier. It might not really end with just locking her up in the annex.
“Maybe it’s good.”
If she stayed put, she was bound to be forced into marriage. As Shioana pondered how to escape this, she sighed. Either she found another husband Eli would be satisfied with and brought him back, or she left this place.
'...You're leaving?'
In that moment, she easily pictured herself with someone. Broad shoulders gripping her tightly, and the intense gaze fixed on Shioana.
'Good heavens, is it true that a noble lady eloped with her servant?'
When she heard what Martha had said, she never imagined this would become her reality. But at this rate, it seemed like it could turn out that way.
"I... Regbell..."
Shioana, who held a special attachment to the land where she was born and raised, turned pale. It was not her family, but this desolate land, that loved and cherished her. A fierce wind pushed her back up as she slumped to the ground, and the sunshine she enjoyed on Mount Regbell soothed her troubled heart.
"No, that's not the problem."
Etienne's feelings were more important than the issue of leaving.
"I haven't even heard the confession yet."
Shioana's heart, which was racing ahead of her own, swelled and grew so large that it felt like it was about to burst.
"I'll have to go and ask first."
If he feels the same way as Shioana, it won't be too late to think about it then.
***
On his way back from cleaning the barn, the chilly wind brushing against his cheeks began to carry the scent of spring. As he stood still and straightened his back, Mount Regbell came into view in the distance.
"..."
A petite woman climbing a hill with her skirt tightly clutched flickered before his eyes. Her flushed cheeks and reddened lips parted toward him.
'...Etienne, you still have a long way to go.'
Shioana, who had set off first on her own accord, acted triumphantly, thinking she had won.
She didn't seem to even consider the possibility that Etienne had deliberately let her win. Light shattered into many fragments on her bright face as she mocked him. Recalling that memory made him feel happy, yet his mind was so dizzy it was painful.
'What on earth is all this?'
When he came here after having everything taken from him, he never imagined something like this. To think that falling for someone would cause his resolve to waver like this. His vow to live quietly like a shadow for the rest of his life, barely present yet invisible, had become meaningless.
'...Ah.'
Just then, hearing a small noise nearby, Etienne pushed the cart again. Lately, he had felt a strong sense that he was being watched. There was no need to think about the reason.
Because there was only one thing in Regbell that could be a problem for him.
'Don't you dare come near my young lady.'
Martha, who was usually quick to just toss things aside and disappear, left a few words. She said that Eli had become extremely sensitive, and that Shioana had been severely scolded again recently.
Feeling as if his inner thoughts had been exposed, he could not offer a reply.
'What if I say I had other thoughts...'
Shioana stopped by here on a cold night because she was worried about him being sick. Even though his mind was hazy from the high fever, he did not forget the kiss they shared.
'Open your eyes. See clearly who I am.'
'...E, Etienne.'
As their lips met, the sensation of her delicate, trembling shoulders was still vivid. His heart melted without a trace at Shioana's warmth.
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